Beach Elopement & Wedding Reception

Hyasha and Kyle got married at Sleeping Bear Dunes on a Thursday afternoon.
It was an absolute beautiful evening that was SO full of love and family.
On Saturday their party/reception happened in ANOTHER beautiful location at Belle Isle, (ACROSS FROM CANADA), and I felt completely at home with their family.

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Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:21:59 +0000K-Wolf Mediahttps://kwolfmedia.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/business-behind-the-curtains/Many of us enjoy the U.P. because of the wildlife or natural scenery, low crime rate, etc; but, one thing we don’t like so much in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan is that jobs are hard to come by. That’s no doubt. Seeing that many of the towns here are small and the industrialized world isn’t so close, it’s not hard to understand the link between low population and few local jobs. In fact, a larger percentage of residents in the Western UP are on some form of government assistance to compensate for the lack of work, 1,473,614 people on food stamps, on average, for 2016 alone. (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dhs/DHS-Trend_Table_02_269209_7.pdf)

On the other end of the employment spectrum, locally owning a small business in an area where employment is in short supply, but workers are very present, has benefits.

“They have the money, they make the rules how they want. We can do nothing about it.”

Prior to writing this article, we interviewed about 40 random employees and employers across the Western UP spanning from Pat’s Foods in Ontonagon to Walmart Employees in Ironwood, and many others. At just about every stop I made while running my errands I made it a point to briefly discuss business with the staff. It was about half and half when it came to positive and negative reviews of businesses by their own employees, but what bothered me is how few of the employees (and employers) knew some of the basic employee rights.

One example of this was most waiters and waitresses I spoke to had no idea that their wages, which is usually slightly above $4.00, combined with their tips, has to equal at least minimum wage; otherwise, their employer is obligated to pay the employee the difference. Unfortunately, some women are still going home with a $120 check for a full work week. Another unfortunate circumstance I seen, especially at Pat’s Foods in Ontonagon, was the amount of retail workers being forced to repay till shortages… with cash. Coincidentally, some of the workers’ wages were minimum wage before they paid their “dues” to the store. Not only did we find that many of the employees who believed they were being taken advantage of failed to understand their rights, but that the ones who did understand their rights were afraid to say anything about it.

I think we all know someone who has worked for grandpa or uncle for some extra cash. Many times personal jobs like that are under the table and no one really is concerned too much about the legality of it. Much of the businesses in the area are locally owned and operated, with family members being employees. So many things are swept under the rug for the sake of “family ties”, I’m sure. When small towns give leeway to otherwise punishable actions or scenarios, you end up with a very biased and unfair place to be employed. “Deal with it.” we hear. “No one is going to listen to the workers because the manager is best friends/married to/cousin to/etc the owner”. While this may be extremely beneficial for those favored few dodging dress codes/coming in late/ etc things that would be punishable otherwise, for the other employees, they may feel hopeless.
Which is the exact words used by one Ontonagon woman.

“I felt hopeless”

She said to me regarding a recollection of her termination from Pat’s Foods in Ontonagon. She had described to me an event leading up to her firing in which she was engaged in a medical crisis seeing to her sick husband. Her husband was mentally ill and battling with a few conditions that sparked intense concern among his family. In response to this concern she tells me she informed her boss and co-workers of the situation, and was denied the time off to see to her husband.

“I took my husband to the Emergency Room at the Ontonagon Hospital and they decided that he needed to be placed in a psych ward. I would be responsible for transporting him to the hospital. I called Pat’s Foods to let them know that I needed the weekend off to get my husband situated in a hospital and I was told that if I didn’t show up for my shift on Saturday that I would not have a job.”

Her husband later died.

Whilst this happened to one woman who had worked there, in June of 2017 another Ontonagon woman working for Pat’s Foods with a learning disability was asked to pay cash money back to the store manager for a customer’s check that had bounced during a private phone call. She was told to the effect:

“You will not work here another day until you pay me.”

While the 21 year old woman was not terminated for disagreeing to the demand, she was soon after terminated for not working her scheduled shifts… after being told she wasn’t to return to work until she had paid up. Fortunately for her, she was educated about her rights and advised to turn the case over to an attorney.
Many workers have had similar experiences with being seemingly strong-armed out of their money under the nose of the law, even the handbook for the job states that you are responsible for money that comes up missing, even if it is later found (yes, another woman found the missing money and was not reimbursed for her out of pocket covering of it).. legal? We aren’t sure. I was denied information when I pursued to investigate the matter. This may seem like a large shot at Pat’s Foods, and I hope that you, as the reader understand that this is all coming from local people here, not from me or my team’s personal opinions.

“I would say that 90% of the problems circulating around these local businesses is because there is no communication from the management. We are taken for granted, but they don’t listen to us. They won’t listen to us.”

Says one Paynesville man, who has been working local retail for over 40 years.

Among all of the negative opinions from employees we interviewed was one reoccurring demeanor: Management needs to change, their bosses should listen to them and heed their concerns. While on the flip side of the coin, when I interviewed the bosses and put questions to them like:

How do you maintain employee communication?

Do you feel it is effective?

Do you feel like your employees are happy with their job and feel appreciated?

What would you say is the biggest challenge for you as a manager in relation to staff morale?

Many of them had no idea how their employees truly felt, but thought they were doing a great job. Employer testimonies were not in conjunction with those of the employees themselves. This only speaks volumes about the real problem at hand among small businesses: honesty. All too often it seems that in the workplace, professional relationships that have no place for the concerns of each other resulted in miscommunication between the staff and the management – ultimately resulting in the discomfort of the staff as a whole. While one points a finger at another, the silent truth remains that many of the problems at hand could be avoided if both parties took more consideration to the needs of the other.

“I love my job. Good pay, and an amazing staff.”

Says an employee from Syl’s Cafe of Ontonagon.

Not everyone had something bad to say about their work. Some employees loved their job and felt like they were among some of the most friendly staff. This feeds into the above correlation. Out of those employees interviewed who had positive feedback in relation to their workplace, many accredited their comfortable atmosphere to the courtesy of their managers and the respect of their co-workers. It isn’t hard to see how the working class of the UP can bridge the divide between employers and employees.

They say people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses.
Hopefully the rest of the world will catch on to the idea that respect goes a long way.

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Fri, 03 Feb 2017 21:19:38 +0000Maria Applebyhttps://mariaappleby.wordpress.com/go/family/peanut-butter-for-the-spirits/When I was a kid, our parents used to vacation in Upper Michigan every August. We would go camping, fishing, hunt for agates on the beach (Lake Superior) and visit places like Copper Harbor (and the copper mines), Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Bay (the Edmund Fitzgerald sank roughly 17 miles from here), the locks at Sault Ste Marie, Fort Michilimackinac…..and many other places. The annual trek across THE MIGHTY MAC always impressed me.

One time we visited an Ojibwa cemetary in Baraga County…..I was pretty small. Pictured (below) is a “Jiibegamig”…a spirit house. Many of these dated back to the mid-1800’s or older. The burial ground itself is said to have “always being there as long as could be remembered”.

Coincidentally, while there, it was lunch time, so Mom broke out the sandwich fixings, and we had lunch (there were picnic tables)…..well most of us did.

Legend has it that these Spirit Houses were filled with things needed for the person’s spirit journey, food items. I felt pretty bad about it and put my peanut butter sandwich in one of them, because I wanted all the spirits to know that we were being respectful. Dad laughed about it. Mom was not amused but I was glad Mom made me another PBJ, because I was hungry and felt like I could eat too, since I “paid my respects.”

In the depths of winter, tucked away on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, near a tiny town called Eben, you’ll find the Eben Ice Caves. These gorgeous ice formations can be explored by taking a short hike (maybe 3/4 of a mile) from the parking area.

To get to the caves, find your way to Eben Junction (M-94 and Eben Rd.) Drive north on Eben and then take a right on Frey. (There will likely be little signs attached to the street sign pointing you in the right direction.) At the end of the road, there is a parking area and when full, cars line the street on both sides. You’ll also see a few portable toilets, compliments of the farmer who lets everyone tread across his land to get to the trail (thank you!).

The day we went, the snow was packed down from multiple visitors before us. Some parts had become icy, and a little steep. If you go, I’d recommend some kind of ice cleat, like Yaktrax. They’ll get you there safely. And you’ll feel much more comfortable wandering around behind the wall of ice.

If you’ll be visiting the area in the winter, go! If you’re a photographer, you might want to consider a visit during the week, when it’s less crowded. Or at least early in the morning on a weekend. Maybe bring a long lens and a tripod so you can get up close and personal with the details in the ice. (Pretty much do opposite of everything I did!) It’s a small area to photograph, but it would so easy to spend a few hours here.

P.S. Want a little piece of Michigan to hang on your wall? I’ve got a lot of great options here.

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Fri, 13 Jan 2017 21:30:27 +0000Andrew Painhttps://traveling250.wordpress.com/go/travel-2/by-the-north-road-horizons-unlimited-ontario-part-four/https://michigangirlinmissouri.wordpress.com/go/upper-michigan/michigan-and-me/
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 01:13:03 +0000lostintheburbshttps://michigangirlinmissouri.wordpress.com/go/upper-michigan/michigan-and-me/Everyone has a happy place, somewhere where they feel calm, relaxed, happy and content. My happy place is Upper Michigan. My mom grew up in Laurium, Michigan and she met my dad when he was stationed near there in the Air Force. I was born there and we lived there until I was around 2 years old when we moved to Kansas City. We went to Upper Michigan every summer and spent a few weeks with my grandparents and those were the best weeks of the year for me. The picture on this post is at Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Michigan. My grandfather was in the VA home in Marquette until he passed away a few years ago and I was blessed to be able to go up there to visit him several times due to employment issues. I’ve been all over the US and I still think that Upper Michigan is the most beautiful place I’ve seen. Even though I live in the Midwest, there is a little bit of Michigan in me and in everything that I do. That’s some of what I hope to share with you all in this blog.
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Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:00:59 +0000kdickinsonphotographyhttps://kdickinsonphotography.com/go/travel/exploring-the-porcupine-mountains/

When I say exploring, I mean cramming in as much hiking as possible. We spent a day and a half playing in the Porcupine Mountains, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, 15 miles west of Ontonagan. I imagine that Matt and I wore my parents out with the mileage we covered, but we barely even scratched the surface of this 60,000 acre state park. (Don’t worry, we rewarded ourselves with cocktails and a bonfire on the beach. Twice!)

We arrived in White Pine in the late afternoon, and immediately drove up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook, only to find it completely shrouded in fog. (It was kind of amusing, but became less amusing when it was very overcast during our second attempt the following morning.)

So we found other little hikes and waterfalls, like Bonanza Falls, and before long it was time to retire to the cabin.

The next day, we went back to the Lake of the Clouds overlook (well, two times), hiked on the Escarpment Trail for a bit, and hiked the along the Presque Isle River.

Looking up towards the Lake of the Clouds overlook from the bridge that crosses the Big Carp River.

We hiked a loop along the Presque Isle River, taking the west side to the South Boundary Road, crossing the bridge there, and then hiking the east side to the suspension bridge near the mouth of the river. The park has done a fabulous job with the boardwalks along the West River Trail. The East River Trail is rugged and awesome, but the best part is seeing the waterfalls from both perspectives.

(We extended the hike to the beach.)

This is the view from the middle of the suspension bridge, looking towards Lake Superior.

Yep, yet another place we’re adding to the list to revisit. There are so many opportunities for hiking, backpacking, and even cross-country skiing. Oh, and several back country cabins to rent. Count me in!

PS… Have you seen a photo on this blog that you just love? You can buy a print of it! Just head over to my gallery, you can choose whatever size works for your space. You can even have it delivered framed and ready to hang.

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Sun, 06 Nov 2016 00:32:42 +0000Donna Weathershttps://wheretonow.me/go/genealogy/family-history-inspiration/https://waanderlustblog.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/isle-royale-mi/
Thu, 03 Nov 2016 15:49:36 +0000waanderlustbloghttps://waanderlustblog.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/isle-royale-mi/In 2011, my dad took my little sister an I on our first ever backpacking trip. We went to Isle Royale, in Upper Michigan. It’s a little island in Lake Superior that you have to take a ferry to get to. We packed up all the ramen, clip bars and water and started on 6-10 mile hikes for 4 days. Each tent spot was so nice, and they had huts to sleep in if you wanted. We swam in Lake Superior every day, even though it was ice cold. At the time, I dreaded going backpacking because I would be so detached from everything, but by the end I loved it.

Sometimes I look at the current political climate and I get anxious. I sit on this beach in the Ottawa National Forest’s Sylvania Wilderness after canoeing until my hands are blistered and I think.

No, screw it.

I’m not thinking anything, this is Labor Day. I have worked. I deserve this break. I’m with my wife and dear, old friends. We’re canoeing into the middle of the lake late at night to watch the Milky Way dipping into the Northern Lights. We’re slipping among wild rice and portaging to the next lake. We’re watching eagles dip and glide; baby loons trying to climb on their mother. We’re a zillion miles away from Donny T. Hillary’s nowhere to be seen. And if Gary Johnson doesn’t know where Aleppo is, I’m certain he can’t find us here. Maybe Jill Stein knows this place. Who cares, it’s all going to be okay.

In August, we visited the Keweenaw Peninsula with our friends, Brian and Thea. Thea has many fond memories of the area as she spent a lot of time here while growing up. The Keweenaw is the northernmost point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is full of awesome old buildings and abandoned mining sites. It’s a really cool place to explore!

And if you need any further clarification on the location…

In an effort to relive Thea’s youth, we went back to several of the places she frequented every summer. First we visited a beach on Portage Lake. What does this have to do with old buildings and mining, you ask? Well, many of the beaches are covered with mine tailings. You know, the crap left over after the good stuff was extracted. (Yikes!)

Mining dump aside, it’s absolutely beautiful on the lake. Also, I love this photo of Matt and Brian. This is so them.

Next, we drove to Mandan, a small ghost town off of Highway 41. In the early 1900’s, this town boasted 300 people along with homes, a school, and various businesses. The remnants of these places seem to be long gone, or at least very well hidden in the foliage. There are about five houses still standing, four of them clearly occupied with fresh coats of paint and modern yard debris. Thea was a bit disappointed with what she referred to as “the gentrification of a ghost town,” she has vivid memories of wandering around the decaying buildings of Mandan. So she claimed this house, the last one standing that is still (probably?) vacant.

Our next stop was the Delaware Mine (1847-1887). We watched a 4-minute video and selected an appropriately sized hard hat and then went on the self guided (!) tour of a mine shaft.

Above the mine, you’ll find what remains of the pump house and the hoist house. I don’t know which one this is, but I thought the birch trees looked cool.

We also checked out some old buildings in the area, from a safe distance, of course.

And that’s pretty much it for this trip. On our way out of town, we stopped to check out the Quincy Dredge on Torch Lake. Isn’t it cool?

PS… Did you know I sell fine art prints? I’m verrry slowwwly adding more inventory. If there is something you’ve seen on this blog that you would like to see hanging on your wall (or to give to someone as a gift to hang on their wall), but is not yet in my gallery, please contact me!

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Sat, 17 Sep 2016 18:00:02 +0000kannemeinelhttps://kannetravelsblog.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/day-two-part-three/I had also wanted to hunt for Diamonds, but beyond the word diamonds on a map, they didn’t have much on the internet. I abandoned that idea. Then of course there are Agates. So I stopped at a beach called AGATE BEACH and began my search. HERE and HERE are the video’s I took.

I can’t recommend these shoes any higher!

They are made for Triatholons so getting them wet was no big deal, my socks and pants leg didn’t agree, so I drove barefoot! Finally though, I made it to Sault Saint Marie and found this sign:

Damn that bridge was HIGH over the locks that connect Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The pictures I tried to take didn’t come out too well and I wasn’t going to try any harder to take any.

Once I got through the border, no problem, or so I thought. I had no real idea of where to turn West and continue on around the lake. But, I was paying attention to the signs, or so I thought. I drove 40 miles out of my way (20 going, 20 returning) realizing I was continuing on, on the WRONG lake! But, to be fair, they do look similar:

I also had another amazing thing happen, my cell phone suddenly started working! All those missed messages starting pinging in, notifications of emails, etc. It was kind of annoying after two days of silence!

The south side of Lake Superior doesn’t look much different does it?

I have to wonder if those putting in the railroad tracks 100’s of years ago thought about the view? I bet they were just after all the iron they could mine out around this lake. Bet it was a cold job, even on this September afternoon, it was COLD!

Although, you DO see the DARNEDEST things, and, of course, I had to stop to take a picture!

I was in a lot of pain and SICK of swamps, trees, and myself…so I headed south once I hit Marquette, Michigan and got home about 10:30 at night…not bad considering I was in WAWA ONTARIO CANADA that morning! This is the final tally of my foray into Canada, in just three days and two nights….1475.8 added! (That’s miles, not kilometers).

Next time, I’ll bring someone with me to show them in person what I found. It was a great trip and the emergency surgery I had the next day was worth it. I’m nearly done and the actual scheduled surgery was a success. I am now done with all the oral surgeries and will soon be OUT of pain…on to more trips!

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Tue, 06 Sep 2016 13:09:02 +0000Hurricane River Publishinghttps://hurricaneriverpublishing.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/unsafe-harbor-off-to-alpha-and-beta-readers/I’m happy to say that book 7, Unsafe Harbor, is now in the hands of my Alpha reader and will soon be on it’s way to my Beta readers. On to mystery number 8,which I’m thinking may be going back in time to when Archie Archibald is a young man and becomes a private-eye. If I do that, I would have 3 books featuring him – The Black Orchid Mystery, Unsafe Harbor, and Book #8 (Untitled at this time).

I have a lot of recurring characters in my books. I like that for several reasons. First- it’s easy to start writing when you know who you’re writing about. Second – the people who read my books like reading about characters they already know.

If you’re up for a good day hike, or a very leisurely two-day backpacking adventure, Chapel Loop is an excellent way to see Pictured Rocks from above. I especially recommend it if you don’t have the chance to see the rocks from the water.

According to this book (Which we are working our way through, it’s been an excellent resource so far!), the hike is 9.7 miles. We hiked closer to 11 miles, because we wandered off a few times, which happens with my camera and I. Also, Matt stopped periodically to do some fishing.

Anyway, we park at the Chapel trailhead, apply massive amounts of bug spray and sunscreen (gross, but it works), and take the trail towards Chapel Falls. It can be a bit busy around the trailhead because there are short and easy hikes to waterfalls in both directions. We hike fast through the first mile and a half to kind of speed right by Chapel Falls (that is, get past all the people).

About three miles into the hike, we hit the shoreline of Lake Superior, and turn left at the Lakeshore Trail and Chapel Rock. We cross the bridge over the stream that drains into Lake Superior. Matt takes off to fish, so I go to the beach to take pictures.

This is what Chapel Rock looks like from the beach. Chapel Beach would be a good spot to break for a swim or for lunch, but it’s pretty busy, and we didn’t bring lunch, so Matt and I continue walking along the beach (and skip a few rocks).

Then we head back up the steps to the trail.

And here is where we sloooow way down because the views are gorgeous and the water is crystal clear and an unbelievable shade of green.

Though it’s hard to look away from the water, I’m also keeping an eye on the trail because… Lady Slippers!

Right around the 5 mile mark is where we hit this view of Grand Portal Point, and stop for a break. This is the point where we wish we would’ve brought a beer because this spot needs to be fully appreciated. And there is plenty of room to spread out off the trail, so we sit and eat a granola bar instead. Matt finds a Bell’s Two Hearted beer coozie which makes his day.

That makes his day, not this view, that dirty beer coozie (which actually cleaned up quite nicely).

Back on the trail, I continue to go down every single overgrown little path to look out at these views that just won’t quit. Matt holds aside branches so I can snap away unobstructed. He doesn’t mind all the stops, because, you know, the coozie.

Not too far down the trail is Indian Head Point. We hang out here for a bit even though it’s hot and exposed, it’s just so beautiful.

Further down the trail, we get a nice view of the other side of Indian Head Point.

A little after 9 miles, there is a junction to head back to the Chapel trailhead, but we decide to go a little further to check out Mosquito Beach. We kayaked and camped here over 13 years ago, there is so much more beach than I remember.

From here, we take the trail to Mosquito Falls so Matt can see if the fish are biting, and they are, like crazy. At this point, my camera is put away because my bug spray wore off and I need my hands for swatting. The bugs are also biting like crazy. So we quickly hike to the car and head back to Munising for a well deserved beer (and pizza too!).

The link to the book I mentioned above is an affiliate link. This means if you were to put that book in your shopping cart from this blog, you would pay the same price, but I would get a small compensation. I only link to things that I love and would recommend to a friend.

It’s been 8 weeks since my last post. (Thanks for noticing, Brian, Roger)

I (temporarily) abandoned my weekly posting schedule for two reasons, the first is so I could concentrate on selling my art. I’ve been wanting to do this for so long. And it’s happening! It’s really happening!

If you happen to be visiting Munising, come over to the cafe and check them out. There is a lot of other local art too. (And come and find me, I work there a few days a week!)

The second reason is because for the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I’m having a real summer. And I have to enjoy every minute of it because I hear summers are pretty short around here. ;)

Lately… Matt and I have found a quiet, sandy beach that has become our favorite, we’ve done a bit of camping and hiking, and biking too. I’ve been photographing wildflowers (well, weeds) on my daily walks. We’ve been sampling the beers at every brewery, of course. I’ve been enjoying every…single…sunset. We’ve been seeing friends/family and meeting new people too. But mainly, we’ve been exploring the U.P. like crazy. It’s been fun.

Au Train Beach in Au Train Bay.

Au Train Falls

Grand Portal Point, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Black Rocks, Marquette

John and Kate’s Wedding :)

Chapel Rock, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Near the Au Sable Light Station, looking towards the Log Slide

Fayette Historic State Park, Garden

Kitch-Iti-Kipi, a large natural spring at Palms Book State Park, Manistique

Laughing Whitefish Falls

Charlevoix

At Pond Hill Farms, Harbor Springs

“Wildflowers”

Sunset on Munising Bay

This is part of a shipwreck (!)

Rock River Falls

That’s what I’ve been up to lately. How about you? Are you enjoying your summer? If not, there’s still time! Get outside, have a beer, go to the beach. I’ll do the same.

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Wed, 10 Aug 2016 17:26:00 +0000lauriummanorinnhttps://lauriummanorinn.wordpress.com/go/uncategorized/the-original-hoatson-safe/The Hoatson’s safe is located under the servant’s staircase towards the back of the house. The combination was lost by previous owners of the house. We don’t have any reason to believe there are millions of dollars or Jimmy Hoffa inside…intriguing thought though! It’s very heavy at an est. 600-1000 pounds.
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Mon, 20 Jun 2016 18:30:39 +0000Rosemary Carlsonhttps://rosemarycarlson.com/go/creative-nonfiction-essays/imaginary-trip-michigan/https://kdickinsonphotography.com/go/travel/backpacking-in-the-beaver-basin-wilderness/
Wed, 15 Jun 2016 14:00:40 +0000kdickinsonphotographyhttps://kdickinsonphotography.com/go/travel/backpacking-in-the-beaver-basin-wilderness/As you know, Matt and I recently moved to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Eager to put house hunting aside and start exploring our new (outdoor) home, we decided to check out the Beaver Basin Wilderness (it’s 11,740 acres within Pictured Rocks National Park). Guys, it’s gorgeous, especially along the shoreline of Lake Superior. And apparently the word is out, because it sounds like back country permits are going to be hard to come by this summer. Here’s more info on the wilderness + a map.

We parked near Beaver Lake and hiked about 4 miles to Pine Bluff Campground, along the coast (which is the Lakeshore Trail/North Country Trail). The next morning, we hiked out around the other side of Beaver Lake (the Beaver Lake Trail), about 5 miles. Here are some pictures from the trail, the beach, and Trapper Lake. Enjoy!

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Wed, 15 Jun 2016 10:01:49 +0000ThumbWindhttps://thumbwind.com/go/cheesburger-in-caseville/9-joys-of-a-cottage-in-michigan/It’s Different. At home you keep up appearances. At a cottage you have the chance to cut some slack. Old books, fishing reels, a TV from the 1980’s or earlier! (with no remote), and ancient appliances can live out the rest of their useful lives. We have a 40 year old Snark sailboat that still makes it to the beach every year.

Bonfires and Fire Pits. A fire ring or a circle of rocks is all you need to create an atmosphere for wonderful stories and conversation. People drop by for a beer, or just for a quick hello. Kids learn to roast marshmallows, hotdogs and popcorn. It’s a wonderful way to get everyone together.

Your Yard, or Lack of One. We let the old gravel driveway be slowly taken over by grass and other greens. The two tracks leading up to the cottage gives it a rustic feel.

Knotty Pine. The paneling and cabinets are over 50 years old and have a rich butter yellow tone. We have to be careful not to brighten it up too much else it looks weird.

The Smell. Coming in to the cottage after a long time away is always an interesting experience. Sometimes the smell is benign. Sometimes its dusty and sometimes its musty. The initial smell goes away quickly has windows are opened or if someone puts a meal on the stove.

The Food Museum. We aren’t diligent about cycling through the canned goods. We have found cans of beans and vegetables in the inner recesses of my parents cottage that went back to the early 80s. The cottage pantry is always a trip back in time.

The Shed. There was a time in the 1950s when the rustic cottages replaced the outhouse the a septic field. Some owners must have had a close connection with the privy as many of them we’re converted to storage sheds. However a few of the original outhouses can be spotted from time to time.

Sandy Feet. By late August the vacuum cleaner has two pounds of beach sand in the bag. Sand is just part of being at the cottage and since it’s not dirt no one really minds tracking a bit in. Of course it’s a different story when you jump into bed with a bit of a sunburn and find the beach has followed you in.

The Local Party Store. A trip into town is an ordeal. Plus you have to wade through all the tourists. (We don’t consider ourselves one, but some locals may disagree.) The little store is only a short bike ride away and it’s where some of us made our first purchases. It smells like bait, new t shirts, sweet candy and newsprint. You could just about find everything you needed for a day at the beach.

Caging Your Trash – Critters love the garbage cans. I once heard a horrendouss racket outside only to find 3 young racoons treed next to a dumped out can full of a weeks worth of smellables. Some enterprising souls sell small wire mesh enclosures to keep the critters out.

Many people who have heard of (or at least Googled) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore have at least seen a picture of Chapel Rock. A miraculous rock island with a tree sprouting out the top standing out against the azure blue waters of Lake Superior. It is arguably the most well-known rock formation in the Midwest and many people go see it every year. The kicker is… the only way to see Chapel Rock is to complete a minimum six mile round trip hike. So, that is exactly what we did.. and then some.

The 12 mile trail is the best way to get views of the coast without getting on a boat tour. It is also a fantastic way to get a feel for the land and the environment of the area. On this hike, we got to see a variety of sights including Chapel Rock, two beaches, countless cliffs and lagoons, three different types of forest, two waterfalls, and the incredible “end of the world feeling” that you can only get when standing on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior.

The trail overall is a very easy hike. It is mostly a single-track, hard-packed trail with very few variations in elevation. There are only a handful of climbs and very few rocks, roots, or other trip triggers on the trail. However, when we went in early May there were a significant amount of trees fallen across the trail, so some climbing was necessary. Sometimes the trail gets very close to the edge some high cliffs but you should be safe as long as you’re not an actual idiot.

One of the coolest aspects of this hike is all of the different typrographies that you get to experience in a few short miles. You begin the hike in purely deciduous forest with tall trees and low-growing plantlife, then you switch to coniferous forest with various types of pine trees around Chapel Rock, and finally change to a dry, coastal forest near Grand Portal where everything is bleached out and covered in sand. Point and then another conifferous and deciduous as you hit Mosquito beach and the trailhead.

The trail begins with an easy three miles through forest as you hike towards the coast. This was probably the least exciting part of the hike, but it was still beautiful. The trail used to be an old railroad track so it is wide, smooth and there is pleanty of space between the trees and trail. After about one mile into the hike we came to Chapel Falls and two after that we finally reached Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach.

Chapel Rock is just as cool as everyone hypes it up to be. Once upon a time the rock was attached to the coast, but time and weather eroded the rock so that the only thing connecting it to the shoreline is the tree’s roots which have adapted to keep the tree alive at is stands alone on top of a huge rock formation. It was very cool and every more rewarding since we had to walk three miles to get to it.

Two miles after Chapel Falls then you reach Chapel Rock and enter a slightly more coniferous forest and beach area (Chapel Beach)..small waterfall, sand, large rocks to sit on. Then you climb elevation to walk along the cliff shoreline (as a park of the _____ Lakeshore trail??) There are lots of outlook breaks in the trail for you to glimpse the blue/green water and cliffs as you begin curves and such.. while we were there, there was still snow and ice stuck to the rocks edges.. even though it was 70 and sunny.. the waters of Lake Superior were still icy.

After hanging out on the beach for a bit we loaded our packs and continued on for the remaining NINE MILES. This is when the hike began to get really cool. We quickly climbed in elevation and started following the coastal line on top of the cliffs. We were able to look down into lagoons and crevices to see the different shades of blue as the depth changed. We were actually able to see chunks of floating ice in the water and attached to the cliff walls since it was still SO COLD.

Slowly the forest transitions from lush coniforous to more dry and crunchier. A different type of tree takes over.. a harsher one to be able to survive the strong winds and perciption from the Lake. We set up our hammocks to take in the views of a small cove and take a quick nap in the early afternoon sun.

After our nap we started to reach a sandier part of the trail.. the forest turned from coniferous to deciduous again and the trail was covered with sand and all of the trees bleached out from the sun and weather wear. Lots of white trees (birch…). Here there was lots of rocky outcroppings for taking in the view, snapping pictures, and ______. On top of all of the formations… so cool

TALK ABOUT LARGE FORMATIONS… name?? à grand portal point (about 1.5 miles from Chapel Beach… huge space where we took all those pics)

This portion of the hike was probably the coolest because it gave off the strongest “edge of the world feeling.” In some spots we were on an outcropping and couldnt see any other part of the shoreline. It was the most indescribable and amazing feeling in the world.

Then we made it to Mosquito Beach… and took another nap next to where the Mosquito River? Connects with the lake. All slates and shelves of rock.. super cool

Continued onto Mosquito Falls (2.6 miles from mosquito beach to the falls and pack to the trailhead)

TIPS:

Do not eat all your snacks ahead of time

Do not stop for a long time at all the beautiful things.. everything is beautiful and you will be too tired out to really appreaciate the stuff at the mid/end of the hike.

We hiked counter clockwise

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Thu, 12 May 2016 21:07:49 +0000Travanie Travelshttps://goodnaturedsite.wordpress.com/go/pictured-rocks-national-lake-shore/pictured-rocks-national-lake-shore/Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of the nation’s best kept secrets. The crystal clear water and dazzling blue hue of Lake Superior is only a complement to the surrounding rocky cliffs, clear skies, sandy beaches and lush deciduous forest. Upper Michigan is honestly one of my most favorite places in the world and is pretty much unknown by most people outside of the Midwest.

The most amazing part about the UP is that its beauty never fades. I will never become immune to the turquoise color of the water, the intricate rock formations or the hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast. I will also always defend the fact that Lake Superior has the prettiest rocks in the world- because it does.

Looking for an escape after the stressful semester and longing to get back in touch with nature,Travis and I ended our semesters early and escaped for a week of camping and hiking at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We arrived in early May – before the park even officially opened – and took a chance with the weather. We were blessed with two full days of sunny and 65, one day of partial rain and one day of snow flurries that ultimately ended our trip slightly early. Camping in May also meant that there were fewer people on the trails and camping was free since the park wasn’t open yet. There were no bathrooms or drinking water available, so for the small inconvenience of using pit-toilets and hauling own water we got four nights of camping for free – DEAL.

After some deliberation, we pitched our tent at Little Beaver Lake Campground – three miles of dirt road away from the highway and 20 miles away from civilization. The campground is small, secluded and is a one mile hike away from Lake Superior. Little Beaver Lake Campground contains an outhouse, drinking water and the trailhead of the White Pine and the North Country Scenic Trails. There are only eight campsites and all but a few have water access. For its seclusion, beauty and location I could not recommend Little Beaver enough.

We spent our days hiking nearly every trail in the park. We put on XX miles in the first two days and were only slowed down from this rate by rain on our third day and snow on the fourth. Each morning we would eat breakfast and pack our hydration packs full with cliff bars, sandwiches, hammocks, first aid kits, cameras, tripods and anything else we could fit. We spent our days trekking, exploring along the trail and taking in the beauty of the forest, beaches and views from the cliff edges. When we started to get tired from hiking we would find a nice view along the cliff line, hang our hammocks and take a nap. After 20 or so minutes we would pack up our stuff, eat a snack and continue. These were the most-perfect days. Nothing but time, beauty and nature (and lots of naps).

Each evening involved cooking a simple dinner, drinking copious amounts of Moon Man and wine, listening to the chorus of spring peepers and bull frogs and staring at the stars. One night we even drunkenly hunted for crayfish with nothing but the light of our headlamps. I’m proud to report that Travis caught one and I was even brave enough to touch it. Life on the lakeshore was so simple and great.

I’m from a little town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with a population of about 8,000 people. I’ve been here most of my life, even living on the same street that I was born on. Growing up it was a great place to live. Daily happenings consisted of running through the neighborhood to find whoever was allowed to come out to play. During the days we could be found playing an intense game of Kick the Can or wiffle ball. I was the only girl in the neighborhood so I was just “one of the guys” and did what they did. Not far from my house was the playgrounds. This was the place that was the main attraction for us kids. There was a park, lots of trees to climb and I can’t forget “the Shack.” The shack had everything we needed available for rent (sign your name and bring it back when you are done) to make it a perfect day! There were softballs, gloves and bats for a fun game of baseball; shuffleboard and ping pong equipment for a friendly competition. I even won a first place ribbon in the ping pong tournament!! Some of my best childhood memories are from that playgrounds!!

Playgrounds

This town is where I got married and had my kids and where most of my family lives. Everything I needed and had ever known was here. Everyone knew everyone and even the thought of hiding anything from your parents made you think twice. If we did something we shouldn’t have “somehow” it always got back to your parents!

Fall colors are beyond amazing!!

Out Main Street

We get a lot of snow here!!

A local attraction of everything “Yooper” (that’s what they call us)

Lots of trees around here!

Old Ish that has stood proudly in town for as long as I can remember. A fun little fact, my grandpa’s hand was the mold for this at one time

Black River Falls in the township of our town

Times have changed quite a bit from those days long ago. The population is still about the same but now when you walk down the street chances are you won’t know the person walking by you. The police are busting drug houses, cars are being stolen and doors need to be locked when you are not home. This makes me sad! To think that the times have changed so much is scary in a way. The days of innocence are a thing of the past. But the memories of all that has taken place in this small town will be mine forever and that is something that not even time can take from me. No matter where I am or what changes life brings my way, this will always be home!!

When you’re little the world seems so big and I don’t think I ever even thought about life outside of my town. But as you get older you realize that there is a great big world out there waiting for you to explore!

So go explore your world because life is an adventure that is meant for you to experience!!

]]>https://thegothicwanderer.wordpress.com/go/classic-gothic-novels/castle-nowhere-constance-fenimore-woolsons-great-lakes-gothic/
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 00:37:48 +0000gothicwandererhttps://thegothicwanderer.wordpress.com/go/classic-gothic-novels/castle-nowhere-constance-fenimore-woolsons-great-lakes-gothic/In 1875, Constance Fenimore Woolson published a short story collection titled Castle Nowhere: Lake Country Sketches. The collection consists of several stories. The first, “Castle Nowhere,” is set off the shores of Lake Michigan and near Beaver Island and is really a novella, while the others are set throughout the Great Lakes including on Mackinac Island, Lake Superior, and Ohio. Some collections only reprint “Jeanette” and “The Old Agency” with “Castle Nowhere,” but the collection’s complete list is: “Castle Nowhere,” “Peter the Parson,” “Jeannette,” “The Old Agency,” “Misery Landing,” “Solomon,” “Wilhelmina,” “St. Clair Flats,” “The Lady of Little Fishing”

While Woolson was not the first author to set fiction in Upper Michigan, she was one of the pioneers of regional fiction for the area, and I believe the short story, “Castle Nowhere,” is probably the first Gothic work set in this region. And even the other two stories in the collection have Gothic elements, although I would not classify them as truly Gothic so I will not discuss them here.

Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-1894) wrote about the Great Lakes, the South, and her European Travels.

From the beginning of “Castle Nowhere,” Woolson applies a Gothic atmosphere. The first character we are introduced to, Jarvis Waring, is a wanderer figure. He is a surveyor sent to Upper Michigan, but he feels like he has no purpose in the world. He also has conversations with “the Spirit of Discontent,” which is his restless wanderer self—in other words, he speaks to himself. (While I don’t think Jarvis Waring’s name has any symbolic connotations, it’s interesting to note that Jarvis was Woolson’s father’s middle name.)

Woolson also clearly sees the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a Gothic place because of its wild forests. This concept of the forest as Gothic is something she borrows from her great-uncle, James Fenimore Cooper, and other earlier American authors like Charles Brockden Brown and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Cooper, especially, took the Gothic out of the castles of Europe and set it in the forests of America where people could easily become lost in the wilderness and where savage Indians threatened white settlers. That said, both Woolson and Cooper were sympathetic to Native Americans and often depicted Natives with redeeming characteristics. “Castle Nowhere” has no Native American characters in it, but the other two stories in the collection do, and Woolson includes other marginalized people in the story.

As the story begins, Waring has entered the woods of Upper Michigan to survey from the Lake Superior shore, but he becomes lost and finally stumbles back onto the lakeshore, not knowing where he is—later he’ll learn he has walked across the peninsula and has arrived on the shore of Lake Michigan, not far from the location of Beaver Island. As he is making camp for the night, Waring, speaking to his Spirit, says he would shake hands with Old Nick (the devil) himself because he is lonely. Soon after, “a phantom skiff” appears on the water, bearing Fog, a man who saw Waring’s fire and stops to visit him. Waring is wary of Fog, who says he comes from “Nowhere” and leads a “wandering life,” but he is polite and lets Fog stay.

Soon after, however, Waring wakes in the night to discover Fog has stolen a book and picture from him. Waring sees Fog making his way out into the water where he has moored his boat. Waring then takes a few days to create a dugout boat of his own and sets off in the direction Fog went to reclaim his property, saying, “I’ll find that ancient mariner,” an obvious reference that equates Fog to Coleridge’s doomed iconic Gothic wanderer figure. Indeed, as the story progresses, Fog reveals himself to be the quintessential Gothic wanderer.

Waring travels on the lake through a fog, but in the morning, the fog lifts and reveals a log house floating on the lake; this structure is the Castle Nowhere of the title, which explains Fog’s saying he was from Nowhere. This moment is interesting because it shows how Woolson is drawing on the Gothic tradition as created by her great-uncle in his novel The Deerslayer. In that novel, “Floating” Tom Hutter lives in a house in the middle of a lake. He also has two daughters living with him, whom he later on his deathbed confesses are not his daughters but stepdaughters. Waring soon discovers that Fog also has a daughter, named Silver, who lives with him (although not until the end of the story will she learn that Fog is not her father), as well as a servant who is a negress.

Woolson again draws on Gothic elements in her depiction of Silver as an innocent young girl who does not know good from evil because she is never allowed to venture off the floating house. She is a sort of Eve before eating the apple, but also a Rapunzel kept by a type of male witch in the form of Fog, and an Immalee, an innocent young woman who lives on an island in Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer (1820). Immalee knows nothing of the world save for Melmoth, a cursed supernatural wanderer, who visits her on the island where she is otherwise solitary. Melmoth makes Immalee fall in love with him, and eventually, she ends up entering into a satanic marriage with him. Silver is so innocent that she knows nothing of the Bible and Fog doesn’t want her to. She also has no knowledge of death. Previously, a servant boy, Jacob, and Fog’s sister Shadow, lived with them, but both died of illness and Fog took their bodies away by boat at night so Silver would never have to experience death. Woolson describes Silver in many ways to emphasize her innocence, including calling her a “water-maiden” and a “fair pagan.”

When Waring arrives, Silver is happy to meet him, and they become acquainted before Fog returns from one of his journeys. Fog is not happy at first to see Waring, but when he sees how Silver likes Waring and when Waring understands that Fog stole the book and picture for Silver, he keeps his mouth shut for a while. Later, however, Waring learns that Fog manages to support himself and Silver by being a scavenger and stealing, and worse, he is a “wrecker”—someone who puts lights on the shore to make sailors think it is a safe place to land a ship in a storm and then the ship ends up wrecked on the rocks. Fog then collects what belongings get washed ashore. Fog justifies the fact that he causes death for the shipwreck victims by saying that their lives matter nothing when compared to the pleasure he can give Silver by bringing her their belongings. Waring tries to stop Fog from wrecking a ship and the two end up in a scuffle with Fog hurting his leg. Waring then decides to stay to care for him for Silver’s sake because no one will provide for the family otherwise.

During this time, Fog tells Waring his story—that he committed a crime in New York unintentionally that caused him to become a wanderer, and finally, he convinced his sister to join him in his wanderings. They decided to call themselves Fog and Shadow because both are gone by morning—a wandering metaphor. Fog obviously suffers greatly, saying how his crime only took a minute, but his suffering is endless. Still, he believes God will eventually forgive him and be merciful (this despite how he continues to murder through causing shipwrecks). He claims that when he found Silver as an orphan child, he felt God was letting him know he would eventually be forgiven.

As winter approaches, Fog tells Waring he’s well enough to provide for Silver again, so Waring can leave before the lake freezes and the ice makes it impossible for him to depart. Waring, however, decides to stay because it’s clear he’s fallen in love with Silver. In time, it’s decided that Waring and Silver will marry and Waring will take her back to the real world. They wish to marry before they leave, so Fog and Waring go to nearby Beaver Island to kidnap a former Presbyterian minister who lives there among the Mormons so he can perform the marriage ceremony. This reference to the Mormons on Beaver Island makes it clear the story is set between 1848 and 1856 when the Mormons had a colony there before being driven off the island.

After the wedding, Fog becomes ill and dies, but not before his deathbed confession to Silver that she is not his daughter, but an orphan he found and cared for as if she were his own. This scene is obviously heavily influenced by Floating Tom’s death scene in The Deerslayer, as well as other scenes in Gothic tradition where people reveal family secrets on their deathbeds. As he dies, Fog asks God whether his sin is expiated, but whether he receives an answer is unknown as he dies right after the question is asked. After Fog’s death, Waring and Silver return to the civilized world, taking the negress with them, while Castle Nowhere slowly disintegrates and sinks into the lake until it is, indeed, Nowhere.

“Castle Nowhere” is both a remarkable and gripping story to read in many ways, as well as an early work that shows Woolson is clearly imitating authors she has read. It is also fascinating because of its Gothic, supernatural, and somewhat fairy tale atmosphere. Woolson would go on to write her first novel, Anne (1880), which bears some resemblance to “Castle Nowhere,” although it is more realistic; in that novel, the title character is also a young girl who has lived a sheltered but happy life on an island—although Mackinac Island and so she is isolated but not solitary—and eventually, Anne also leaves to enter the real world, only her experiences will not be happy, while we can predict that Silver and Waring will live happily ever after.

As a resident of the Upper Peninsula who is familiar with many of the locations Woolson writes about, I can say that the area remains heavily forested, and I can definitely see why it would inspire a Gothic atmosphere for a novel. Woolson, who was a close friend of Henry James, would go on to write many more books set in the Great Lakes area as well as the South before her fatal death falling out of a window in Venice. Some speculation exists that she committed suicide. Perhaps Woolson had a bit of the Gothic wanderer’s spirit about her.

If you wish to learn more about Woolson, a biography of her life will be published this year by Anne Boyd Rioux titled Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist.

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Tyler Tichelaar, Ph.D. is the author of King Arthur’s Children: A Study in Fiction and Tradition, The Gothic Wanderer: From Transgression to Redemption, and the Children of Arthur series. You can visit Tyler at www.ChildrenofArthur.com and www.GothicWanderer.com